Murder victim. Taxi cab driver. An African-American, Foley was born on June 26, 1928 to John Foley and Nettie Drennan in Robertson, Texas. He was a decorated United States
Army Private First Class who served his country during World War II (1939-1945) as an infantryman. Foley enlisted in the Army at age 17 and was Honorably Discharged from the service. He was shot and killed at the wheel of his taxi cab on May 26, 1983 in an alley in South-Central Los Angeles. Foley was 54-years-old and had resided in Inglewood, California at the time of his untimely death. The crime, which occurred at the rear of Vernon Avenue, just east of Vermont Avenue, according to Los Angeles police homicide investigators, was an apparent robbery. "He was found slumped over the wheel of his cab. His money had been taken," a detective who worked on the case told a Los Angeles Times reporter in December, 1983. Los Angeles police later arrested Grant Christon, 22, and confiscated a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver from him. Ballistic tests matched it to the crime and the suspect. Taxi-cab company records traced Foley's telephone call of the fare to the suspect's home. Demetria Wallace (1964-1983) had reportedly witnessed Foley's slaying after leaving a dental office where her boyfriend worked. The Los Angeles City College student, aged 19, cooperated with Los Angeles police detectives and agreed to tell her story in court, as a witness for the prosecution, despite a telephone bomb threat against her home. An LAPD detective led her to believe that many witnesses were going to testify against Christon in Foley's murder. However, she was the only witness to that crime. The Flagstaff, Arizona-born Wallace was slain by a shotgun blast in a drive-by shooting November 2, 1983 at a northbound bus stop on 48th Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles near her home, allegedly to prevent her from testifying. Although charges were dropped against the defendant in a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court November 7, 1983 in the Foley case because of Wallace's brutal death, Foley's murderer later pleaded guilty in October, 1984 to the June 1, 1983 gunshot murder of Lamont Norwood and the wounding (attempted murder) of his brother Travis at a Vermont Avenue area pizza parlor in South-Central Los Angeles. The convicted murderer was sentenced to 27-years-to life imprisonment. He was paroled from at the California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, California on October 14, 2015 after serving 31 years in state prison. Foley's hearst was escorted by several cabs to the cemetery and buried with both military honors and tributes from his numerous fellow taxi drivers.
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshots (.38-caliber revolver).
Army Private First Class who served his country during World War II (1939-1945) as an infantryman. Foley enlisted in the Army at age 17 and was Honorably Discharged from the service. He was shot and killed at the wheel of his taxi cab on May 26, 1983 in an alley in South-Central Los Angeles. Foley was 54-years-old and had resided in Inglewood, California at the time of his untimely death. The crime, which occurred at the rear of Vernon Avenue, just east of Vermont Avenue, according to Los Angeles police homicide investigators, was an apparent robbery. "He was found slumped over the wheel of his cab. His money had been taken," a detective who worked on the case told a Los Angeles Times reporter in December, 1983. Los Angeles police later arrested Grant Christon, 22, and confiscated a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver from him. Ballistic tests matched it to the crime and the suspect. Taxi-cab company records traced Foley's telephone call of the fare to the suspect's home. Demetria Wallace (1964-1983) had reportedly witnessed Foley's slaying after leaving a dental office where her boyfriend worked. The Los Angeles City College student, aged 19, cooperated with Los Angeles police detectives and agreed to tell her story in court, as a witness for the prosecution, despite a telephone bomb threat against her home. An LAPD detective led her to believe that many witnesses were going to testify against Christon in Foley's murder. However, she was the only witness to that crime. The Flagstaff, Arizona-born Wallace was slain by a shotgun blast in a drive-by shooting November 2, 1983 at a northbound bus stop on 48th Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles near her home, allegedly to prevent her from testifying. Although charges were dropped against the defendant in a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court November 7, 1983 in the Foley case because of Wallace's brutal death, Foley's murderer later pleaded guilty in October, 1984 to the June 1, 1983 gunshot murder of Lamont Norwood and the wounding (attempted murder) of his brother Travis at a Vermont Avenue area pizza parlor in South-Central Los Angeles. The convicted murderer was sentenced to 27-years-to life imprisonment. He was paroled from at the California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, California on October 14, 2015 after serving 31 years in state prison. Foley's hearst was escorted by several cabs to the cemetery and buried with both military honors and tributes from his numerous fellow taxi drivers.
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshots (.38-caliber revolver).
Murder victim. Taxi cab driver. An African-American, Foley was born on June 26, 1928 to John Foley and Nettie Drennan in Robertson, Texas. He was a decorated United States
Army Private First Class who served his country during World War II (1939-1945) as an infantryman. Foley enlisted in the Army at age 17 and was Honorably Discharged from the service. He was shot and killed at the wheel of his taxi cab on May 26, 1983 in an alley in South-Central Los Angeles. Foley was 54-years-old and had resided in Inglewood, California at the time of his untimely death. The crime, which occurred at the rear of Vernon Avenue, just east of Vermont Avenue, according to Los Angeles police homicide investigators, was an apparent robbery. "He was found slumped over the wheel of his cab. His money had been taken," a detective who worked on the case told a Los Angeles Times reporter in December, 1983. Los Angeles police later arrested Grant Christon, 22, and confiscated a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver from him. Ballistic tests matched it to the crime and the suspect. Taxi-cab company records traced Foley's telephone call of the fare to the suspect's home. Demetria Wallace (1964-1983) had reportedly witnessed Foley's slaying after leaving a dental office where her boyfriend worked. The Los Angeles City College student, aged 19, cooperated with Los Angeles police detectives and agreed to tell her story in court, as a witness for the prosecution, despite a telephone bomb threat against her home. An LAPD detective led her to believe that many witnesses were going to testify against Christon in Foley's murder. However, she was the only witness to that crime. The Flagstaff, Arizona-born Wallace was slain by a shotgun blast in a drive-by shooting November 2, 1983 at a northbound bus stop on 48th Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles near her home, allegedly to prevent her from testifying. Although charges were dropped against the defendant in a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court November 7, 1983 in the Foley case because of Wallace's brutal death, Foley's murderer later pleaded guilty in October, 1984 to the June 1, 1983 gunshot murder of Lamont Norwood and the wounding (attempted murder) of his brother Travis at a Vermont Avenue area pizza parlor in South-Central Los Angeles. The convicted murderer was sentenced to 27-years-to life imprisonment. He was paroled from at the California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, California on October 14, 2015 after serving 31 years in state prison. Foley's hearst was escorted by several cabs to the cemetery and buried with both military honors and tributes from his numerous fellow taxi drivers.
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshots (.38-caliber revolver).
Army Private First Class who served his country during World War II (1939-1945) as an infantryman. Foley enlisted in the Army at age 17 and was Honorably Discharged from the service. He was shot and killed at the wheel of his taxi cab on May 26, 1983 in an alley in South-Central Los Angeles. Foley was 54-years-old and had resided in Inglewood, California at the time of his untimely death. The crime, which occurred at the rear of Vernon Avenue, just east of Vermont Avenue, according to Los Angeles police homicide investigators, was an apparent robbery. "He was found slumped over the wheel of his cab. His money had been taken," a detective who worked on the case told a Los Angeles Times reporter in December, 1983. Los Angeles police later arrested Grant Christon, 22, and confiscated a .38-caliber Smith and Wesson revolver from him. Ballistic tests matched it to the crime and the suspect. Taxi-cab company records traced Foley's telephone call of the fare to the suspect's home. Demetria Wallace (1964-1983) had reportedly witnessed Foley's slaying after leaving a dental office where her boyfriend worked. The Los Angeles City College student, aged 19, cooperated with Los Angeles police detectives and agreed to tell her story in court, as a witness for the prosecution, despite a telephone bomb threat against her home. An LAPD detective led her to believe that many witnesses were going to testify against Christon in Foley's murder. However, she was the only witness to that crime. The Flagstaff, Arizona-born Wallace was slain by a shotgun blast in a drive-by shooting November 2, 1983 at a northbound bus stop on 48th Street and Vermont Avenue in Los Angeles near her home, allegedly to prevent her from testifying. Although charges were dropped against the defendant in a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles Superior Court November 7, 1983 in the Foley case because of Wallace's brutal death, Foley's murderer later pleaded guilty in October, 1984 to the June 1, 1983 gunshot murder of Lamont Norwood and the wounding (attempted murder) of his brother Travis at a Vermont Avenue area pizza parlor in South-Central Los Angeles. The convicted murderer was sentenced to 27-years-to life imprisonment. He was paroled from at the California Men's Colony, San Luis Obispo, California on October 14, 2015 after serving 31 years in state prison. Foley's hearst was escorted by several cabs to the cemetery and buried with both military honors and tributes from his numerous fellow taxi drivers.
Cause of death: Murdered by gunshots (.38-caliber revolver).
Inscription
KIMBROUGH FOLEY, PFC US ARMY, WORLD WAR II June 26, 1928-May 26, 1983.
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